Millis Select Board Opens Public Debate on 45-Unit Housing Authority Land Transfer

MILLIS — March 23, 2026 — Millis Select Board opens formal public debate on 45-unit affordable housing land transfer. Chair Erin Underhill convened a standing-room informational hearing Monday on a proposal to transfer town-owned land to the Millis Housing Authority for a 45-unit development, with two parcels under consideration: the 23.1-acre Braun property on Village Street and the 41-acre Cassidy Farm on Exchange Street. Housing Authority Executive Director Candace Avery said the authority's waitlist holds more than 9,000 applicants, including 94 Millis residents, and that eight of 10 recent vacancies went to local residents. Abutters raised concerns about the Timberline sewer pump station's capacity, high groundwater along Island Road, and the pace of the process; former Director of Public Works Jim McKay said the existing manhole connection at Exchange and Island is "not conducive for that type of flow." The board also unanimously approved a $204,380 designer services contract amendment with TAPE Architects and the Project Funding Agreement with the MSBA for the Middle High School project. The affordable housing land transfer will require a two-thirds vote at Annual Town Meeting on May 4; the Select Board must sign the warrant by April 13.